Psychology Gospel 101

Psychology is defined as the science of mind and behavior. Psychology in the church is man’s attempt to suppress sin. If the Law of God could not suppress sin, what makes man think their laws can suppress sin? The Law of God was not meant to suppress sin but expose it for what it is…death. Psychology is an example of spiritual adultery in today’s church. It attempts to make the Cross of Christ of no effect by directing the person to self will instead of His Cross. The strength of the Lord to destroy strongholds will never be known in the psychology gospel, only the strength of one’s self.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!…” Romans 6:1-2. The mere mention of “sin” in many of today’s churches brings out the religion in the religious. “We don’t live under law, we live under grace!” they scream. However, if we are living in unforgiven sin, have not repented for our sin or confessed our sin and asked the Lord for help…we are deceived and living under the law and not grace. I am not talking about sinless perfection, the Bible does not teach sinless perfection. I am speaking of willful sin. “ For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,” Hebrews 10:26. Willful sin is the transference of our faith from what Jesus did on the Cross to our works. When we transfer our faith, usually unknowingly (hence the deceit), we are sinning and have removed the Sacrifice, Jesus Christ, for our sin which once again allows our sin nature to have dominion. The result of which is the person fighting the sin nature within their means, which they cannot do on their own. Weekly meetings, 30 minute sermons and a class to become a better Christian becomes the prescription to defeat one’s sin nature. I will say it again right here, there is only one way our sin nature can be defeated…through our faith in Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. Because of this willful sin, works become an attempt of atonement . Instead of showing faith by works, works are the atonement. The works are appealing to the flesh. They are often fun and are indeed “good” works but they are performed merely to soothe the conscious. They are the salve applied to the sin with a hand clap of appreciation in the Sunday morning services. They are works while living under the law but with the law having a more flesh appealing effect.

The liberty that came with God’s grace upon salvation is deceitfully stolen by the harlot instead of the Jewish Pharisee. “For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, To call passengers who go right on their ways: Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that want understanding, she saith to him, Stolen waters are sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.” Proverbs 9: 14-18. Finally, as the torment of the sin nature becomes too much to bare, that’s ok…in fact that is quite normal, there is always a program to overcome that problem also.

The weight is too heavy and psychology is applied. Once again, man tries to sanctify the sinner with a law that God’s law could not even accomplish (again, because it wasn’t meant to accomplish holiness but point out lack of holiness to the sinner). God’s Law, being perfect, exposed the need for a Saviour, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ work on the Cross has already defeated that unconfessed sin. We won’t find that defeat in a classroom, a program or any other man made doctrine. We will ONLY find the defeat of the sin nature at the Cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ONLY one who can defeat the sin that has dominion over us. Until we confess to Him our sin, realize our error (repent) and ask HIM for help we will never know and understand His grace. When He reaches His Hand down to you and breaks that stronghold, you know without a doubt it was Him and had nothing to do with you. It is then, the understanding of what He did on the Cross is revealed and living under His Grace begins. This will never happen as long as man stands in the way and attempts to sanctify the saint by means of psychology. Don’t encourage me to be strong but instead, remind me how strong my God is when I’m weak. Pray for God to heal a broken spirit instead of trying to heal it yourself. God uses people to point them to Him for salvation and sanctification. Jesus not only justified us on the Cross but He died to give us life and life more abundantly. We can’t quit seeking Him after salvation and allow man to sanctify us. Keep seeking the Lord and allow His work to continue. God gave us two infallible resources – the Holy Spirit and His Word. His Word and the Holy Spirit always point us to the Cross of Jesus and His finished work. Ignoring sin is not God’s grace, confessing, repenting and victory over sin is God’s grace. The confession of sin is admitting we need God’s help to overcome. 1 John 1 is instructing the SAINT to confess their sins, not the sinner. If we never admit we need the Lord’s help to overcome sin, we are rebelling; we are slapping the hand that feeds us.

Psychology in the church is poison in the pot. It is diluting the Gospel of Jesus to appeal to the conscious of man. If it is not pointing you to the Cross of Jesus and HIS finished work, it is another gospel…period. The Bible warns us of other gospels. “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:6-8.

Psychology gospel doesn’t come dressed in a red cape with a warning flag. It is pretty, makes good sense to the carnal mind and appeals to the flesh. It’s target is your faith. Without faith in Jesus we are not justified. Without justification we are not saved…isn’t that the devil’s goal? Can you see where this can derail one’s faith; especially someone new to the Lord? As much as “we” try to help them, if we are not pointing them to God’s Word, which points to the Cross of Jesus and what HE did, they will never know to yield to the Holy Spirit but will instead quench Him. They will never have victory and we, the ones who disciple them, will be held accountable for leading them astray if we point them to any other gospel. If the Lord has given you a ministry, we are stewards of His Gospel and His Gospel alone…nothing added to It and nothing taken from It, anything else is another gospel. – Donna Warren